Deck Post repair

HobbyMan

Hi all. I've just bought a house and I know that one of the deck posts has been repaired incorrectly. The deck posts are sunk into the concrete pier. And since one of the posts has been damaged (I assume rot), the post was cut at about 12" above the top of the pier. They have used a splint on either side of the 6x6" post to lock the new supporting post in place. Apparently this is a hinge joint and is not according to code.

Does anyone have any experience with these kinds of repairs. Is it possible to retrofit rebar or drill out the 6x6" in the pier and back-fill with concrete and add a j-bolt ?

Really I want the least labor intensive fix possible without loosing structural integrity. If it needs lots of labor, so be it, but as I have no experience with decks, all info is good.

Thanks.

BTW, please PM me if possible.

CopperClad

I think I understand what you're saying, but a photo would help immensely.

HobbyMan

Will do once I get up to the house and get settled in. I know this is an issue from doing the inspection on the house before buying.

In essence you have a pier with a 12" 6x6 post sticking out of it. It has been cut level. On top of this is the new 6x6 post that has been mounted on top. On 2 sides, (opposite each other), there is a 2x6 nailed to both the upper and lower 6x6's (think of a splint when you break your arm/leg, similar thing here where the leg is comprised of the top and bottom bone and the knee is where the join is). The 2x6 splints are about 10" long.

So the post has support in one horizontal direction but in the other it could potentially buckle if the force were in the right place.

As a temporary repair, I'm thinking of 2 metal endcaps welded together and then placed inbetween the 2 posts. This would provide support in both horizontal directions (X and Y). However this is probably not to code.

CopperClad

Well I just learned today that it is "typical" to splice/lap wood in many different ways. Seems as though the way they do it on bridges is exactly the same way for wood in residential construction. Apparently all you need is a 6'' staggered nailing pattern with a 16D nail and you can lap anything, however mathematical analysis must be done for your application. However because I know you are in California, and I don't know how far from the San Andres fault you are , I can assure you that ya won't be able to lap/splice anything , with your header, posts, beams, or otherwise. But with the photo you will supply, it will help determine the appropriate course of action. More then likely you will have to remove the footing, pour a new one, and also have a new full length post, to meet the stringent seismic codes of most of CA. PS. maybe I'm wrong , and you can splice/lap whatever you want no matter how high your deck is. How high is your deck?

HobbyMan

Thanks for the reply.

So the area is in a low seismic zone so the building code may allow it (however I don't feel too comfortable with it!). What I really need to do is find out what the building codes for decking are in my home area. That way I can start looking into what really should/could be done.

I suspect it will need a new pier and post. Deck height is about 6ft from the top soil.

CopperClad

Well hopefully you can find an engineer that will sign, date, and stamp an approval for splicing/lapping wood. It is "typical" so you shouldn't have a problem. I know for a fact that there is an engineer that visits this DIY site frequently that has no problem splicing/lapping any piece of structural wood together, and he will probably read this thread and sign off on it for you. A photo will still help him figure out how many 16D nails will be appropriate though. Congrats on the new pad !